This invention relates to a surgical instrument holder able to hold a plurality of surgical instruments used together in surgery, such as a diathermy pencil and a suction instrument or laproscopic instruments or the like, and able to be removably mounted on or near a patient during surgery.
A quiver or scabbard comprising an open ended elongated container has been known to be used in surgery for a number of years to hold a plurality of surgical instruments such as a diathermy pencil and suction instrument for use in surgical procedures such as cauterising procedures or laproscopic instruments or the like. Many surgical techniques now require these types of instruments each having a specialised shape, size and length for the specialised surgical application.
Usually a plurality of instruments, including an electrically connected diathermy pencil and a metal tubular suction instrument, are included in the same quiver or scabbard. Clearly this is not a safe practice due to the risk of electrical mishap and possible resultant burns to the patient. Also the holding, insertion and reinsertion of a plurality of delicate expensive instruments together in a scabbard increase the likelihood of damage, and increases the risk of cross contamination of instruments during a surgical procedure.
Another development in the understanding of safe operating procedures is the understanding that live virus can be included in the resultant plume from the use of diathermy pencils or the like and this live virus can be inhaled by the surgeon. Of particular concern is the transfer of Hepatitis C from the patient by this method. One proposed solution to this problem is to include suction means integrally with the diathermy pencil to enable simultaneous plume evacuation during the surgical use of the diathermy pencil. Apart from the substantial increase in size of such a compound instrument, it is still often necessary to include a separate suction instrument for removal of other surgical waste or use in combination with other surgical instruments. Using a plurality of quivers or scabbards located in different positions provides difficulty in locating instruments used together and provides difficulty in removing instruments used together while ensuring correct handling.
It is an object of this invention to provide a surgical instrument holder that overcomes or at least ameliorates the problems of the prior art but allows ready access to a plurality of instruments for surgical procedures.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a surgical instrument holder for use in a surgery including a holder body having a plurality of discrete elongated chambers each having one closed end and one open end and each sized to hold one of a plurality of surgical instruments used together in surgery, such as a diathermy pencil and a separate suction means or two laproscopic instruments or the like, but allow easy removal of the surgical instruments, and a holder attachment means connected to the holder body and supporting the holder body and enabling the surgical instrument holder to be removably mounted on or near a patient to provide substantially adjacent access to each of the discrete elongated chambers simultaneously allowing easy removal of the surgical instruments.
In a particularly preferred form of the invention there is provided a surgical instrument holder for use in surgery having a holder body formed by a plurality of coextending elongated cylinders each having an open end at a common end of the holder body and each sized to be able to hold one of a plurality of surgical instruments used together in surgery, such as a diathermy pencil and a separate suction means or two laproscopic instruments or the like, but allow easy removal of the surgical instruments, a holder attachment means supporting the holder body and connected to adjacent elongated cylinders at or near respective circumferential points on the elongated cylinders along an intersecting line between respective axes of the adjacent elongated cylinders, and a connection part associated with the holder attachment means and enabling the surgical instrument holder to be removably mounted on or near a patient, wherein the surgical instrument holder provides simultaneously access to each of the adjacent elongated cylinders allowing easy removal of the surgical instruments.
The surgical instrument holder may be formed from a thermostable plastic or other dielectric and chemically resistant material able to insulate the surgical instruments when held separately in said discrete elongated chambers and to allow ready cleaning by autoclave or chemical means.
Preferably the holder attachment means and the holder body are shaped, attached and sized and without concave surfaces to eliminate substantially, blood and surgical residue collection points. Further, to assist the cleaning capabilities, the surgical instrument holder can have removable end caps that form respective closed ends of the discrete elongated chambers. The removable end caps can be connected to the discrete elongated chambers by screw means interfitting with external thread on the discrete elongated chambers.